Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lifeboat

/ˈlaɪfˌboʊt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.19 in modern English

Syllables: lifeboat
IPA: /ˈlaɪfˌboʊt/

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A boat especially designed for saving the lives of shipwrecked people or people in distress at sea (either launched from the shore with a crew, or else carried on board a larger ship).

noun

An emergency vehicle carried aboard a spaceship.

verb

To rescue; to carry to safety

Example Sentences

"I've got a watch that turns into a lifeboat"
"In a corner of the churchyard, where old headstones mark the graves of many mariners, is a striking white statue of a lifeboatman, erected as a memorial to three members of the local lifeboat crew who lost their lives in 1916 while trying to reach a ship in distress."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *leyp- Proto-Germanic *lībanąder. Proto-Germanic *lībą Proto-West Germanic *līb Old English līf Middle English lyf English life Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *bʰóydos Proto-Germanic *baitaz Proto-West Germanic *bait Old English bāt Middle English bot English boat English lifeboat From life + boat.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈlaɪfˌboʊt/
British English: /ˈlaɪfˌbəʊt/

Inflected Forms

lifeboats (plural) lifeboats (present, singular) lifeboating (participle, present) lifeboated (participle, past) lifeboated (past)

Derived Forms

lifeboatism lifeboatman lifeboatsman

Phrases

LEM lifeboat lifeboat ethics LM lifeboat lunar lifeboat

Synonyms

quarter boat rowboat raft

Questions

How do you pronounce lifeboat?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlaɪfˌboʊt/.
What does lifeboat mean?: A boat especially designed for saving the lives of shipwrecked people or people in distress at sea (either launched from the shore with a crew, or else carried on board a larger ship).
Where does lifeboat come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *leyp- Proto-Germanic *lībanąder. Proto-Germanic *lībą Proto-West Germanic *līb Old English līf Middle English lyf English life Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *bʰóydos Proto-Germanic *baitaz Proto-West Germanic *bait Old English bāt Middle English bot English boat English lifeboat From life + boat.

How to pronounce lifeboat

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lifeboat”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈlaɪfˌboʊt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lifeboat”.
Repeat and practice — Say “lifeboat” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.